1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a charging apparatus. More specifically, it relates to an external discharging/charging apparatus for directly charging a battery set, or first discharging the battery set and then charging it.
2. Description of the Related Art
The conventional charging apparatus, used for charging a battery set of a notebook computer for example, can only directly charge the battery set. However, if the battery set is always charged without first effectively discharging the battery set, then both the efficiency and life of the battery set are reduced.
In general, a detecting IC device with a Gas-Gauge is provided in a battery set of a notebook computer for detecting the remaining power capacity (the voltage level) of the battery set. However, users get used to charging the battery set before its power capacity decreases to an appropriate level for charging. Therefore, the life of the battery set is reduced and the Gas-Gauge loses its accuracy.